It was commissioned to establish a benchmark of the carbon footprint of eight of its production facilities in Java, Sumatra and its pulpwood plantations in Indonesia.

The study began in the middle of 2007 and focused on production during 2006.

Director of sustainability and stakeholder engagement for APP Indonesia, Aida Greenbury, said: "This initial report is independent evidence that our present carbon profile is well within industry norms, but we know the market expects more than that.

"As a responsible global citizen, APP is committed to making its carbon footprint as small as possible.

"We will use this report as a baseline against which to chart our progress toward the long-term goal of producing carbon-neutral paper."

ERM has employed three protocols to develop APP Indonesia‚Äôs carbon footprint - the World Resource Institute, the International Council of Forest and Paper Associations, and the Calculation Tools for Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Pulp and Paper Mills developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

The carbon footprint assessment is part of a broader sustainability strategy that also contains a social footprint assessment.